Passer Wasim Akram of former Pakistan National Cricket Team has supported the T20I team led by Salman Aga to perform well in the ongoing edition of Asia Cup 2025.
Wasim Akram also justified the ax of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan’s star batting pair, saying that they were unable to perform continuously in T20I cricket; Therefore, new faces were required.
He has given enough opportunities to Babur and Rizwan – Wasim Akram
Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have been completely sidelined from Pakistan’s T20I setup, and head coach Mike Hessen has made it clear that the pair will not be considered in the small format that is moving forward.
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Over the years, Babur and Rizwan made a pile to score runs for men in Green in T20I, but faced continuous allegations of playing for individual milestones rather than team needs.
His batting also went down, and due to his poor performance, he was hit an ax from the T20i squad for the Asia Cup 2025.
Babar Azam played 128 matches for Pakistan and scored 4223 runs at an average of 39.83 and a strike rate of 129.22. On the other hand, Mohammad Rizwan played 106 games and scored 2723 runs at an average of 47.41 on an average and a strike rate of 125.37.
Recently, Wasim Akram shared his views on the current Pakistan setup and supported the selectors and team management to leave Babur and Rizwan.
“I think this team is correcting. They have given Babur and Rizwan as a opener for 4 or 5 years.
I think to go to these youth, the idea of moving ahead of them – Wasim Akram
Wasim Akram further said that the Pakistan Selection Committee and the team management made appropriate plans to take out Babur and Rizwan.
He said that the youth, who have been brought in the T20 Eye setup, are not afraid to lose, and they are playing with the right mindset.
“Babur is not there, Rizwan is not there. I think the idea was to move forward with them, to go to these youth. They have done well, not consistent, but at least they have the right mindset.
He said, “They are not afraid of losing. When you are afraid of losing, you are under pressure. So these people can lose, but I think Salman Aga is a good captain,” he said.
In particular, Pakistan’s T20I team has started playing ultra-commit cricket in the format since the departure of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.
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He is moving from the front – Wasim Akram Salman Aga
Wasim Akram praised T20I Captain Salman Aga for leading his team from the front and being selfless.
He said, “He is moving from the front. He sacrifices his place at number 4-5. They should not do much experiment with this team. They can regularly beat top teams,” he said.
The former pacer also called for Babar Azam’s return to the T20 Eye setup, mainly due to his ability to do well by chasing the difficult yogas of 150–160 on hard pitches.
“I have recently said that I want Babur to be in T20. Just think about it because against strong sides, if you are going to chase 150 or 160 on such a pitch or in any little doddy wicket, it will be difficult. You have to change your game a little. It may be useful.”